The softball playoffs are once again upon and as teams ready for a push for Poultney, I put out the annual playoff primer and predicitions.

Will Essex rebound from disappointments the last two seasons and live up to the top seed or will Mount Anthony run away with its second straight title? Can anyone stop BFA-Fairfax? Will Poultney end the season celebrating on its home field?

The action gets underway today, get ready for a wild end to the high school spring season.

Essex (12-1) once again earned the top spot in D-I for the fourth straight year, but have lost to Missisquoi in the semifinals the last two years. The Hornets would not see the No. 7 seed Thunderbirds until the finals this year, but can Ali Rutz pitch the team to the finals?

The Hornets will likely face No. 3 BFA-St. Albans in the semifinals. The Comets looked almost unbeatable for the first 11 games of the season, but lost three of their last five games to raise some question marks.

The favorite of the tournament likely sits in the No. 2 spot, with defending champs Mount Anthony holding down that spot. The 15-1 Patriots lost only to Pittsfield, Mass.

Another team to watch is No. 3 Colchester, which handed Essex their only loss of the season and knocked off BFA-St. Albans. Both were somewhat surprising regular season wins, do the Lakers have some surprises in store for the playoffs.

The Lakers will have to get past No. 6 Mount Mansfield in the quarterfinals, though, which will be a threat with the double threat of Sydney LeBourveau, the hitting and pitching star for the Cougars.

Here is how I think things will go down in the postseason:

Playdowns

No. 9 Brattleboro over No. 8 St. Johnsbury (9-7)

No. 4 BFA-St. Albans over No. 13 Spaulding

No. 2 Mount Anthony over No. 15 Champlain Valley

No. 3 Colchester over No. 14 Burr and Burton

No. 6 Mount Mansfield over No. 11 Rutland

No. 5 U-32 over No. 12 South Burlington

No. 10 North Country over No. 7 Missisquoi

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Essex over No. 9 Brattleboro

BFA-St. Albans over U-32

Mount Anthony over North Country

Colchester over Mount Mansfield

Semifinals

BFA-St. Albans over Essex

Mount Anthony over Colchester

Final

Mount Anthony 2, BFA-St. Albans (8): The Comets return to the finals for the first time since 2012, but cannot top the defending champs as the Patriots need extras innings to capture their straight title.

DIVISION II

The conversation in D-II starts with undefeated BFA-Fairfax (15-0). The Bullets had won two straight titles in 2012 and 2013 before last year's undefeated season was derailed in the semifinals. The likes of Vergennes, which downed them last year, do not linger on their side of the bracket this season.

They could face a challenge from No. 4 Milton in the semifinals. The Yellowjackets have a solid season and could turn in a surprise but they will have to get to Fairfax pitcher Kayla Mathieu.

Two southern schools sit on the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Fair Haven and No. 3 Springfield, with an air of mystery about them. The Cosmos could see trouble from No. 6 Mount Abraham in the quarters, but there looks to be little stopping these two teams meeting in the semifinals.

This is how I think the postseason will go:

Playdowns

No. 9 Vergennes over No. 8 Lyndon

No. 4 Milton over No. 13 Otter Valley

No. 5 Middlebury over No. 12 Woodstock

No. 10 Hartford (7-9) at No. 7 Randolph over No. 10 Hartford

No. 3 Springfield over No. 14 Lamoille

No. 6 Mount Abraham over No. 11 Lake Region

No. 2 Fair Haven over No. 15 Rice Memorial

Quarterfinals

No. 1 BFA-Fairfax over Vergennes

Milton over Middlebury

Fair Haven over Randolph

Springfield over Mount Abraham

Semifinals

BFA-Fairfax over Milton

Springfield over Fair Haven

Finals

BFA-Fairfax 8, Springfield 1: The Bullets look to be a team on a mission this season and nothing gets in the way of the team's third state title in four years.

DIVISION III

All four top seeds will sit and wait for the challengers in the quarterfinals. Will any of the lower-seeded teams be able to take them down.

No. 1 Oxbow (13-2) lost only to Blue Mountain and U-32, while No. 2 Richford (14-2) fell only to BFA-Fairfax, making those two the like favorites to advance to the title game.

But No. 7 Enosburg will likely face Richford in the quarterfinals and that could be a possible upset to watch game.

No. 5 Peoples could pose problems for No. 4 Thetford (11-5) in the quarterfinals as well, while No. 3 Bellows Falls (13-3) could see some trouble from No. 6 Windsor.

Here are my predicitons:

Playdowns

No. 9 Leland & Gray over No. 8 Williamstown

No. 5 Peoples over No. 12 Rivendell

No. 7 Enosburg over No. 10 Green Mountain

No. 6 Windsor over No. 11 Northfield

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Oxbow over Leland & Gray

No. 2 Richford over Enosburg

No. 3 Bellows Falls over Windsor

Peoples over No. 4 Thetford

Semifinals

Oxbow over Peoples

Richford over Bellows Falls

Final

Richford 4, Oxbow 2: Richford, which won the D-III title last season, makes it two in a row but Oxbow certainly doesn't make it easy them.

DIVISION IV

Poultney (15-1) has not played in the championship weekend that the school hosts since 2008, when it lost to Blue Mountain. This year, with only one loss, the top-seeded Blue Devils are favorites to end the season on their home field.

Whitcomb, the No. 2 seed, ended the season on a four-game winning streak and could ride that to playoff success.

South Royalton, at No. 3, and the always-in-contention No. 4 Blue Mountain will definitely look to make a trip back to Poultney difficult for the hosts.

Here is how I see D-IV breaking down:

Playdowns

No. 8 Danville over No. 9 Twinfield

No. 10 Concord (4-8) at No. 7 West Rutland over No. 10 Concord

No. 6 Black River over No. 11 Proctor

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Poultney over Danville

No. 4 Blue Mountain over No. 5 Twin Valley

No. 3 South Royalton over Black River

West Rutland over No. 2 Whitcomb

Semifinals

Poultney over Blue Mountain

South Royalton over West Rutland

Final

Poultney 5, South Royalton 3: The Blue Devils win their first D-IV title (they have four championships in D-III) and their first overall title since 2003.

Contact Lauren Read at 660-1855 or lread1@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/laurenreadVT